Science & Tech
Company selected to build spaceport
The New Mexico Spaceport Authority announced today the selection of Gerald Martin Construction Management of Albuquerque to oversee the building of Spaceport America.
A portal into space, and it’s in my backyard
Growing up, my real passion was anything to do with outer space. So, I have to admit, I’m a little giddy about the fact that New Mexico is about to begin construction on the first purpose-built commercial spaceport in the world only 40 miles from my house.
TODAY’S TOP STORIES: The economy sucks but ski season is looking good
In national news today, the Securities and Exchange Commission says “Whoops! Sorry about that!” and admits it was totally playing Minesweeper the whole time Bernie Madoff was bilking Indiana pension funds of their millions.
Also, $2.7 billion fell out of Morgan Stanley’s pocket on the way to the subway this morning. The head of Housing and [...]
ABQ law firm likes to walk — while working
Tucked into a nondescript office building in Northeast Albuquerque, a small law firm is the proud new early adopter of the walking workstation. “We’re on the cutting edge for a lot of reasons, but this is one of them,” Nell Graham Sale, one of the firm’s partners, recently told the Independent.
Obama’s energy/environment picks bode well for critics of Desert Rock
Looks like Barack Obama has settled on most of his energy and environment team leaders, and the choices signal a decided shift from the status quo. The Wall Street Journal calls the choices “Green Ink,” and has a good round-up of press reports on the selections.
Nobel Laureate Steven Chu, the director of the Lawrence Berkeley [...]
Udall votes for auto bailout; Wilson, Pearce vote against it
U.S. Rep. Tom Udall voted for a $14 billion bailout for American automobile companies Wednesday evening, while U.S. Reps. Heather Wilson and Steve Pearce voted against it. The bill was approved on a vote of 237-170 and now heads to the Senate for consideration. Interestingly, Udall, a Democrat, joined the Republican Pearce in voting against the $700 billion financial bailout earlier this year, while the GOP’s Wilson voted for that bailout bill.
N.M. faces ‘crippling loss’ of power in new Congress
New Mexico will lose decades of experience and seniority in the U.S. House and Senate when the new Congress convenes next month, posing great challenges for the new delegation tasked with protecting the state’s interests in Washington.
State government’s ‘black hole’ computer system needs more $$ — and lawmakers weren’t in a giving mood already
The state’s troubled computer-based accounting system will need an injection of a few more million dollars and state lawmakers aren’t happy about it. And it couldn’t come at a worse time –- the state is short a few hundred million dollars.
New Mexico bought SHARE, a new accounting system, a few years ago on the premise [...]
New commercial solar plant for New Mexico is still on track
Remember the RFP issued back in June by PNM, El Paso Electric, Southwest Public Service and Tri-State Generation and Transmission regarding a solar power plant they want to build? The electricity generated from the plant would help the companies meet the requirements of New Mexico’s Renewable Portfolio Standards.
One day later, Richardson’s Twitter trends were, well, atwitter
Bill Richardson was nominated to be the country’s next commerce secretary yesterday by President-elect Barack Obama. And it was not only noticed here on the pages of the New Mexico Independent or in the New Mexico media in general. It was news all across the nation. And that includes Twitter.